Melissannde

I agree with gypsy & Billy, it's most likely the high glycemic carbs that are making you feel hungry. I would try very hard to avoid what are sometimes called the "white carbs": potatoes, rice, bread, & Pasta. Also all colors of corn. You may eventually be able to allow small amts back in your food plan, but for now you'll be less hungry if they are verboten. What happens is that they cause your blood sugar to spike upwards and then crash.. and when level crashes, it causes hunger to rear it's ugly head. You may need to "wean" yourself off of carbs. Some people can go cold turkey.. I did it more gently. I went to whole grains. I don't eat bread very often now, but when I do, it's Ezekiel bread.. toasted. Same with Rice.. rarely have it, but when we do it's brown rice. Any pasta served here is whole wheat. Again, I rarely eat these things, and when I do I know I will be fighting increased hunger the next day. Oatmeal is very good for breakfast if you like oatmeal. Steelcut is the best choice..while it is a carb, it's low glycemic. I make mine in an individual bowl inside my crockpot overnight. When I get up in the morning all I have to do is add whatever extras I want.. and it's ready to eat. No fuss, no muss. You can make a faux fried rice using cauliflower. I've never made it (sounds like too much trouble 2 me), but the recipe I think is on the caloriecount.about.com in the low carb section. If you do get a fill, I'd ask the docs to make it really small. I think if you ditch the white carbs you'll see some good results.

Call the billing dept at the hospital and talk to a supervisor there. Even if they make you pay the 15% ( I doubt that they will make you pay the whole 15%), a payment plan can be worked out. I know after my cancer surgery (and we had to prepay a whopping big amount because we had not met our deductible yet.. the surgery took care of that!!!) there was a little bit left over after insurance kicked in, which we arranged to pay out over some months. At least call them so you'll have an idea what the numbers will be.

It's not so weird to need more fill as you lose.. when you lose weight, you don't only lose it on the outside, but you lose fat from around your stomach too and therefore the band becomes looser and you need more fill to get the good appetite dimming again. I was told that I can always have more veggies if I'm hungry after eating my bandster portion. Provided they are non-starchy (no potatoes, no corn) and aren't drowning in butter or some kind of high calorie sauce. If Hot drinks work, great. If they don't, try cold. Usually cold drinks will tighten the band just a little bit and help with controlling appetite. One last tip I was given by one of my bariatric nurses.. sometimes when we think we're hungry, we're really thirsty. I remember thinking.. "yeah, right". But, I gave it a try and it does work.. some. It won't stave off hunger like a good fill will, but it will help. 2cc's isn't much in a 10cc band. Everyone is different, and I do know someone who's got really good restriction with 2cc's.. but I have the same band as she does and I'm almost where I need to be with 5.5cc's. Debating on whether to get another .1 or .2 in a few weeks.... Hang in there, stick to your eating plan as best you can and go back for more fill when your doctor allows. If you want to work on your eating behavior, you might look at Judith Beck's book "The Beck Diet Solution". It is NOT A DIET. It is a book that can help you change your thinking and behavior about food. But, like the band, it only works if you work it.

What size band did they put in you? I ask because I know someone who had great difficulty post op and after two days they took her back into surgery and gave her a larger band. Once that was done, she's done very well. I agree with the previous poster who suggested that they remove ALL of the starter fluid from your band if they haven't already. Hope you feel better soon.

Please check with your doctor before taking liquid ibuprofen. Some doctors do not want their banded patients taking NSAIDS (non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs). Ibuprofen (motrin) , aleve and aspirin are all nsaids.

Removal of all Fluid is half the treatment for a minor slip anyways. I think the other half is to go on liquids.. not sure, haven't been there and hope I don't. I understand the stress of cancer.. btdt. Hope you have excellent results.

Have you checked fillcenters usa? They have a doc in Houston. I know NOTHING about the doctor or fillcenters USA.. just know other people have used them.

I like the muscle milk LIGHT ready to drink in strawberry cream and vanilla cream, the chocolate tastes fake.. don't know how the mixables taste. I've tried the EAS carb advantage RTDrink and I agree they're pretty ugh.. but I get the french vanilla flavor and add some s/f vanilla syrup (DaVinci) and that helps a lot!! Syntrex makes a good variety of nectar drinks.. if you look up their website they did have a special at one time where you could get a sampling of their stuff.. at a really reasonable price. Turned out to be about 1.00 sample. I think they are too weak tasting alone, but mixed with some crystal light or coffee or whatever seemed appropriate for the flavor they were OK. I'd call your doctor's office and ask for help. I'm sure they've had patients who couldn't tolerate the suggested products before and know what you could try in their place. (Soooo thankful I had a doctor who didn't require a pre-op diet)

I know someone who says "the band is a fickle b*tch", meaning that you never know what it's going to let you eat. I think we all had those days pre-op too, we just notice them more now. Anyhoo... have you tried starting your day with a warm drink of some kind? coffee, tea, hot Water with lemon, are some common things that people drink. I get up, have coffee with my Vitamins & supplements, then have my breakfast. I rarely do Protein drinks, unless I'm in too much of a hurry to eat. And it's very common to get looser as the day goes on. Sometimes it helps to drink something cold to tighten up the band. I don't know that there's any literature that explains why the band is so changeable, but maybe someone else can point the way to some. I'm not sure what you mean about magic spot. If you mean the amount of fill that keeps you satisfied on a small meal for 3 hours or more.. my doctor calls that "the green zone". It's described well at The Preferred Weight Loss Surgery | LAP-BAND® It can be elusive and especially if you're a woman and still experiencing monthly hormonal fluctuations. Hang in there, it does get easier eventually.

If you want to talk to some DS'er's, you might find more info over at Obesityhelp.com in their DS forum.

Thanks. This isn't quite as good as the taco soup, but we like it pretty well. Some tips: Make sure you have the solid pack pumpkin, not the stuff ready to pour into a pie crust. I use less olive oil than the recipe calls for.. maybe teaspoon? Not sure how much as I either measure a capful from my bottle (which is way less than a tablespoon) or I use Olive Oil spray. recipe says to cook it for 4-5 hours in a slow cooker.. we can never wait that long. I just put it all together in a big dutch oven and heat it and eat. :thumbup: Another change is that I don't worry about having chicken broth.. either I have it and use it, or I don't and add chicken bouillon & Water. Last time I made it, I used chopped chicken from a store bought rotisserie chicken. Just play around and see what works for you and your family. enjoy!! Black Bean 'n' Pumpkin Chili Recipe | Taste of Home recipes 10 Servings Prep: 20 min. Cook: 4 hours Ingredients 1 medium onion, chopped 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced 3 cups Progresso ® Chicken Broth 2 cans (15 ounces each) black Beans, rinsed and drained 2-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes 2 teaspoons chili powder 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt Directions In a large skillet, saute the onion, yellow pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker; stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts). Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 192 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 28 mg cholesterol, 658 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 7 g Fiber, 16 g Protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 very lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.

Let's see, 30 lbs in 5 months is 6lbs/month which is about 1.5 lbs a week. Average expected weight loss with the band is 1 to 2 lbs a week, so it sounds like you are just about right. If you're comparing yourself to others who are losing, don't. Everyone is different. I don't know your starting weight, but keep in mind that those who start with higher weights often lose faster in the beginning. It's also not unusual to lose a bit and then stop and then lose a bit again. Our bodies seem to need a little time to adjust. If you're still getting hungry, not having good appetite control for 3 or more hours after a meal (and your meal is low carb, with good solid, dense protein) you may need another fill. Keep on keeping on. It may seem slow, but you're making progress.

The only reason my insurance covered mine is that I had met my deductible (sky high by the way) by having had CANCER and needing surgery for that before I got banded. I understand your frustrations, but really.. it could be worse.

Does your doctor have a nutritionist or dietician who works with them? You might try asking them for some suggestions. Anything that you normally serve could be blended to baby food consistency, I would think. Things that would lend itself well to that would be baked sweet potatoes, creamed spinach, turkey & gravy. Maybe someone else has been through TG during the mushy stage and would have better ideas. Good luck to you.

I've not had this happen, but it sounds like descriptions of a slipped band. Call your doctor, even tonight. Best wishes to you.

The answer my surgeon gives is they don't know why a fill can take 2 weeks to make itself known. It just happens with some people and not every time. I've even had an unfill take 2 weeks to settle down. What I mean by that is that I felt immediate relief from the "too tight" feeling by the unfill.. but it took 2 weeks to stop feeling extra hungry from the unfill. Short answer.. no one knows why.

I had my sections years before banding, but I don't think they go near that area. Of course, anything is possible. More than likely you are still swollen from surgery and that's why you can't feel the port right now. You could call your ob/gyn and ask. Or you could call your bariatric surgeon and ask.

go ahead and get the band and get through the post-op period where you do have to stay on modified foods for a bit (liquids then soft things then regular). You don't have to start "using it" (getting fills) until you are ready. This is not the way most people approach it, but it is one way. I am not deprived at all. I've always been able to eat anything I really wanted to eat. I just eat less. In fact now, when I look at the 3oz of Protein and 1/2 cup of veggies I think it looks like a lot of food. I couldn't imagine thinking that before banding. Before banding 3oz & 1/2 cup sounded like starvation. Now when I see my dh & kids serve their plates I'm shocked at how much they can eat. Get the surgery, get past the healing stage and then take it from there. Try not to talk yourself out of this over food issues. Or are you feeling something weird about your surgeon and/or staff? If that's the case, you might want to interview another surgeon right quick.

Are you eating too fast because you are letting yourself get too hungry between meals? A couple of ideas to try: Have a small, high Protein, low calorie snack between meals. My favs are a small snack size container of cottage cheese (with or w/o fruit), an apple and a piece of string cheese, a slice or two of deli meat rolled around a pickle. Just try to keep the snack around 100 to 150 calories. Try having a hot drink (coffee, tea, Water with lemon) just before your meal. I know many docs say no drinking 30 min before food, but if you're having FBS (first bite syndrome) this is something to try. The hot drink tends to loosen the band just a tad. Not enough to make you too hungry, but enough to let your meal go down w/o issues. Cut your food into small bites before you sit down at the table to eat. Put your fork down between each bite. Get a minute timer and use it to time your bites. Use a "lube" to help the protein go down. I like mustard or a low cal bbq sauce. No carb ketchup would be a good choice if you like ketchup (I don't). I just measure out a tablespoon and include it in my calorie count for that meal. Anything you like would be fine, as long as you are really using a small amount. Call your doctor's office for more ideas. If your doctor has a nutritionist or dietician on staff.. ask to talk to them. Mine has nutritionist lead meetings once a month.. and this is separate from support group. Good luck.

I chose the band because 1) I had not heard of the sleeve at the time I was making my choice 2) I've had cancer and did not want a surgery that caused malabsorption. I've been very lucky that surgery was probably the cure for my cancer, but if it should come back, or if I develop a different cancer, I'll be able to tolerate chemo/rads much better with an intact gut. I know of a woman who ended up with "short gut syndrome" from the aftereffects of radiation.. and her life was miserable (her words not mine). Not saying that bypass would lead to that .. but it's something I thought about when choosing surgeries. My surgeon says that bypass IS reversable, just a rather difficult surgery. Exercise not only helps with weight loss.. it also tones the muscles. Toned looks better than flabby any day of the week.

My nurses use ultra-sound to locate the port. Ask if that is an option.

Yep. Not unusual at all. I came out of surgery with approx. 3cc's in mine. Just consider it a head start.

Are you taking a multi-Vitamin daily? If you are and you're taking children's versions.. they may not be enough for you. Getting back to the doc and getting lab-work done is a good idea. I have to go to my PCP for that, as my surgeon isn't big on that type of follow up. If you're working out at the gym every day, take a look at what you are doing. If your gym has trainers, talk to one of them about your routine.. see if they can give you some advice. I know that at my gym, they greatly discourage doing weight training two days in a row. Cardio can be done daily, but weights shouldn't be done any closer than every other day. As to the foods, are you keeping a food journal? It can be on paper or online. I like dailyplate.com, but there are lots of other places and many are free. One of the many benefits of keeping a food journal is that you can print out a few days worth to take in to your appt so that your doc can see your choices and give advice. Also can support you when you really need a fill. Hope you feel better soon.

It's really individual, depending on how tight your band is. I had no issues eating late until just recently and I've been banded 20 months. Now, I have to be sure that if I eat right before bedtime, it can't be anything dense otherwise I'll have reflux. If what and the time of day you're eating is causing issues (reflux, no weight loss, other problems), make a change. I know a few bandsters who make a habit of drinking a cup of warm tea before bed to sorta "flush" the pouch so that the issue of reflux is greatly reduced. I don't know if this answers your question.. but hope it gives you some food for thought.

fried catfish or really any fried seafood. Not that I can't eat it.. I just choose not to 99% of the time.